Waste - State and impacts (Hungary)

Over the past ten years, ‘deposit-oriented’ solutions have been increasingly replaced by prevention and recycling. Municipal and hazardous wastes are in focus in waste management planning: the former is mainly due to the development of consumption trends, the latter is due to the adverse effects on human health and to environmental media. We also have to mention here the significant amount of potentially hazardous wastes generated by the economic activity of earlier decades at a number of sites. The elimination of harmful effects caused by polluting wastes requires costly remediation measures.

The total amount of waste had decreased significantly by 2008 (56 % of the level in 2000) mainly due to the economic restructuring of this period, the reduction of industrial and agricultural production waste.

Table 1. : Generated waste according to main waste categories (source: MoRD-NEIS, WIS)

(thousand tons)

The amount of municipal solid waste increased up to 2006 – contrary to the decreasing trend of total waste generation. This can be explained by two main reasons: first, the change in consumption structure, secondly the extension of statistical records.

Municipal solid waste collection as a public service is available at almost all settlements except in some villages with only a few inhabitants. The share of households involved in regular waste collection and transport increased to 92.4 % in 2008 from 85.1 % in 2000. Households not included in this service are mostly farms and resort properties.

The volume of municipal liquid waste collected is decreasing in parallel with the increasing level of canalisation, while the amount of construction-demolition waste mainly depends on the number of construction projects.

The quantity of hazardous waste generated each year has decreased significantly. However, in some years, wastes arising from remediation have to be taken into account. 

Figure 1. Amount of hazardous waste per year (Source: CSO, MoRD-NEIS/WIS, HWIS, Vituki)

In accordance with the related environmental policy objectives, the rate of waste disposal has decreased significantly, by approximately 20 %, since 2000. The recycling rate is improving steadily with the parallel decrease of the waste volume to be treated (recycling rate for the total quantity of waste ranges between 25-35 % per year* – see Table 2.), although somewhat lower than the EU average.

Table 2.: Waste treatment - without sewage sludge  (source: MoRD-NEIS,WIS)

*It should be noted that the overall recycling rate is significantly degraded by the account of the municipal liquid waste treatment. Recycling rate for municipal liquid waste is low because it is essentially treated as sewage.

Table 3. The status of recycling and recovery in 2008 - without sewage sludge (Source: MoRD)

According to the types of waste, the recycling rate of municipal waste and construction-demolition waste is increasing continuously (in 2007 approximately 33 %, in 2008 45 %). The results of the measures taken to bolster selective waste collection and recycling are most noticeable in the case of municipal solid waste.

Table 4. Treatment of municipal solid waste (source: CSO, MoRD)

(thousand tons)

Figure 2. The composition of municipal solid waste in percentage, 2007

(Source: MoRD)

In connection with changing consumption patterns, increased attention has to be paid to the issue of packaging waste. The quantity of packaging waste generated has varied in terms of trends according to the different types. The recycling rate is crucially dependent on economic rationality, but the progress shown is still considerable, the recycling rate is increasing in both absolute quantity and in proportion.

Table 5. Trends in packaging waste generation and treatment, 2002-2008 (source:MoRD)

On-site selective collection is a prerequisite for the recycling of packaging waste. The largest proportion of selective waste is currently coming from institutional, industrial and commercial selective waste collection. Non- household packaging waste is almost entirely selectively collected.

Figure 3. Trends in selectively collected packaging waste according to origin

(within the activities of the coordinating organisations), 2003-2008. (Source: Öko-Pannon Ltd.)

• blue line: selective collection of household packaging waste
• red line: selective collection of industrial or commercial packaging waste

Selective collection of household waste has increased during the last couple of years, to 11 % of all recycled waste, but it is still far behind the potential, taking into account that the household selective waste collection is currently based on the less efficient ’selective waste collection island‘ solution.

As a result of the previous developments, the selective waste collection system is available at more than 1 200 settlements countrywide, for 55 % of the population. The number of selective collection islands is almost 8 000, together with almost 100 waste yards, and 40 regional composting plants.

The disposal rate of municipal solid waste is declining, and a further positive development is that through the upgrading of landfills and through the establishment of new regional landfills, deposition can be managed without environmental pollution. In addition to this, in recent years - mostly under EU co-financed projects - 328 landfills have been recultivated (the recultivation of the remaining, abandoned and unclosed landfills is still ongoing).

Table 6. Status of waste treatment in 2008 - without sewage sludge (source: MoRD)

Table 7. Trends in hazardous waste treatment (Source: MoRD-NEIS, WIS)

 (thousand tonnes)

The inspection of incinerators was finalised in 2005. Incinerators that did not meet the environmental criteria were closed or modernised. As a result, pollutant emissions from incinerators decreased by 30 %. Every incinerator operating currently meets regulations. Moreover, all have some kind of energy or heat recovery system. Incineration - in particular because of the social image – is typically aimed at hazardous waste. 40 % of thermally treated hazardous waste is used directly for energy recovery (usually by co-burning).
The recovery of hazardous and industrial non-hazardous waste has decreased together with the decline in production, so even existing capacities are not fully utilised.